Recipe - Herb Scented Lime Bean Soup

1 One half cup Dried large lima beans;
picked over and rsoaked
overnight in ample water to
cover or speed soaked (p
185)
1 tablespoon Saffllower or canola oil
One half cup Coarsely chopped onion
3 cup Boiling water
1 teaspoon Fried chervil leaves or 1
finely chopped celery rib
One half teaspoon Dried rosemary
One half teaspoon Dried sage
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar; (opt) (up
to 2)
2 tablespoon Minced fresh parsley
One fourth Seeded amd chopped fresh
plum tomatoes

Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure by Lorna Sass, published by William
Morrow and Co.

9 minutes high pressure

Dried lima beans are a great boon to anyone on a quest for low fat
creaminess. They have very thin skins that virtually dissolve in the
pressure cooker, creating soup with an elegance and complex flavor that
would suggest a much more labor intensive dish.

Don't consider the tomato and parsley garnishes optional. They add most
welcome color and flavor to the final product. The soup has a lightness
that sets it firmly in the firstcourse category. I like to follow it with
a pasta dish.

Drain and rinse the limas, remove any loose skins and discard. Set aside.

Heat thye oil in the cooker. Cook the onion over medhigh head, stirring
frequently, for 1 miknute. Add the water (stand back to avoid sputtering
oil), reserved limas, chervil, rosemary and sage.

Lock lid in place. Over high heat, bring to high pressure. Lower the heat
just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 9 minutes. Allow
pressure to come fown naturally or use a quick release method. Remoive4 the
lid, tilting it away from you to allow any excerss steam to escape.

Stir well as you add s&p, mashing a few dozen limas againsrt the side of
the cooker to create a thick creamy testure. Add vin. if desired, to bring
out gflavors. Serve in individual bowls, garnisking with parsley and
tomaTO.

Tipe and Techniques (also from book) Large lima beans foam considerably
when cooking. Owners of jiggletop cookers should probably avoid this
recipe. If you choose to try it, add 1 more tablespoon of oil to reduce the
possibiliry of a bean skin being catapulted into the vent. Don't leave the
kitchen while this soup is cooking; turn off the heat and put the cooker
under cold running water if you hear any unusual hissing noises.

Don't be tempted to use baby limas in this recipe. Baby limas hold on more
tightly to their skins and don't result in as creamy a final product.

Sarah's comments on the recipe: First, please forgive typos and
abbreviations. I'm having editor troubless and can't see what I'm typing
too well.

Second, whan I make this (I've got a jiggle top machine) I manually remove
all the skins from the beans before I cook the soup. It sounds hard, but
it's not after a good long soaking time they slip right off. Watch TV
while you do it to make it seem quicker, though, ort something similarly
braindeadening.

Third, don't worry about the flavorings. We're lazyt and use a spice mix
designed for stuffing chickens, it comes in a yellow box and I can't think
of the name offhand. We don't even measure it... Lots of fresh ground
pepper, too.

Fourth, don't worry if you don't have the garnishes. They're nice, biut you
can use other things, too, like fresh red and yellow pepper minced up, or
croutons, or even nothing... it's your soup...

Posted to JEWISHFOOD digest V97 #336 by mort@mhv.net on Dec 29, 1997